We need to take a hard look at what is causing this income disparity. Is it prejudice? Is it lack of economic or educational opportunities? Is the system corrupt, and if so, where? And what questions need to be asked to change that?

Where babies live largely influences what babies eat. Barriers to fresh food means barriers to first food. This matters because what we eat as infants and toddlers sets the stage for later health outcomes, including heart disease, obesity and cancer.

Our advice could be simple: "Eat real food. If they advertise it, don't buy it." The explanation simple as well: They advertise food and beverages because they want you to eat and drink products that are unhealthy."

This is the classic dilemma of American poverty: Without a job, a client has to turn to food pantries and public assistance; when she finds a job, she loses her public assistance and sometimes winds up with less than she had before.

Human intervention in growing food crops is really part of our history. For hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years, we have modified and improved crop varieties to meet our ever-evolving tastes and needs.

Nothing about our current food system is inevitable. Fast-food companies have the opportunity to shake their bad reputation if they think anew. Our young black men and women are suffering from a health crisis, and fast-food chains have a responsibility not to profit off of their misfortune.

Drawing parallels to the U.S. judicial system, the FDA operates on the premise that the chemicals in our food are "innocent until proven guilty," but in fact don't even carry out an objective and unbiased trial.

Julie Guthman's position is clear: She does not deny that many American citizens are getting bigger, but wants to tease out the factors behind obesity that for political, economic and cultural reasons are often underestimated or outright ignored.

Given that around 26 states in the U.S. have moved to enact more comprehensive labeling requirements for GMOs, any trade measures that could threaten the rights of U.S. citizens to democratically determine higher standards in food labeling, should be opposed.

Just outside of the small town of Maumelle, Arkansas sits your run-of-the-mill American strip mall. And as in so many other box store hubs, a Walmart dominates the landscape. But something is a shade different about this one; its big, looming letters are not the standard blue.

NetSquared, an initiative which aids individuals and communities in using web-based tools, recently hosted their first ever "Social Good Contest" for apps developed for Windows 8. Sponsored by Microsoft, the contest "encourages developers to make a difference in the world through the power of technology."

The system is poised for change. Now is the time for all of us to show companies that it is in their interests to lead. No brand is too big not to listen to its customers, and if enough of us urge the "Big 10" to do what is right, they will have no choice but to listen.

The cure for what ails us -- both in our bodies and in our nation -- can be found in the kitchen. It is a place to rebuild community and connection, strengthen bonds with family and friends, teach life-giving skills to our children, and enrich and nourish our bodies and our souls.